In an earlier post we mentioned being sure to promote Valentines pre-orders whenever you are speaking to your customers.

While it might seem obvious to discuss it with men be sure to bring it up even if you are talking to a wife or girlfriend who is more likely to be receiving than giving on the 14th! You can say something like does your husband know we're your favorite shop? I'd hate to see him buying your Valentines flowers from the grocery store or the side of the road! Then you give her a magnet to stick on the fridge!

Seem pushy? It's not. Many guys are intimidated at the idea of buying flowers and nobody wants to buy the wrong thing for his wife or girlfriend. Most guys are happy if their partner is very clear about what they would like as a gift - it makes life easier for them!

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Courtesy of our friend J Schwanke at uBloom! This is a great product to offer your customers at Valentines - and something they won't be able to find at the grocery store or on the street corner.

Here is another great design from J Schwanke at uBloom!

This ties in very nicely with our suggestion to choose products that have a high perceived value for the customer and a high margin for you.

Here is another great design from J Schwanke. Once gain this meets the criteria of being fun and wildly original in addition to being unique - you won't find this at the grocer or big-box retailer! Best of all it uses short roses which means you can offer a great product with a high perceived value that doesn't cost you that much to make.

There are lots of opportunities - inventory, coolers, fixtures, etc. But the things we're most interested in are less tangible - things like their customer list and phone number.

Think about it - if a shop has been in business for any length of time they probably have a phone that rings. Maybe not enough to keep them in business but enough to mean some extra orders for you! And a good customer list is very valuable to a shrewd marketer.

More information will follow. For now keep your ears open for news of competitors who are getting ready to pack it in.